The Restaurant 03894

[gokart-mozart]

There is a post on Facebook that says they are closing after Columbus Day. Sounds like it's for good, although I haven't checked in with the staff.

As I said back in March, it was going to be hard to survive the departure of Rob and Siobahn. Maybe it was too hard, after all.

[VitaBene]

That would be a shame

[tis]

That would be. I hope it's not true.

[gokart-mozart]

Originally Posted by tis

That would be. I hope it's not true.

According to a staff member, may close Monday 9/2. Could try to make it to Columbus Day, but probably not.

[tis]

And it is permanent, gokart? I did hear it from somebody else too.

[gokart-mozart]

Originally Posted by tis

And it is permanent, gokart? I did hear it from somebody else too.

Yes. The person I spoke with is being laid off effective Monday night, and believes the rest of the staff is, too.

Something happened back in the late winter, with the Lydia's on/off deal, Siobahn and Rob leaving, the bar/performance space (or not) - I was told they had been hemorrhaging cash and now there's no more.

[Patiently Watching]

They are indeed closing, however the circumstances are not quite as your suggest 'mozart'.

The owner has been ready to get out of the business for a while, which combined with staffing problems has sealed the fate of the place. There have been some huge theft and other criminal issues on the part of some staff members and he's just going to focus on other business.

Not a money thing except that the headaches are not worth the money the place makes. It's pretty sad for town as there aren't a lot of other options.

The same person owns both sides of the building (and the restaurant as well) is in the real estate business and will be renting the space out sometime before next summer, but it might sit empty for 6 or more months... The brick oven pizza/Italian place is going into the other side of the building and the owner is going to take his time finding the other tenant.

This is the real story.

[twins]

I sure wish I had read this thread earlier. We went to a long anticipated dinner there with friends a couple nights ago and sat for a solid hour after we ordered waiting for our food. The waiter was totally indifferent to our plight and when we were finally served, they were literally sweeping up around our table. If the pizza place was in business next door, I may have had a pie delivered to our table while we waited!

[gokart-mozart]

Originally Posted by Patiently Watching

They are indeed closing, however the circumstances are not quite as your suggest 'mozart'.

The owner has been ready to get out of the business for a while, which combined with staffing problems has sealed the fate of the place. There have been some huge theft and other criminal issues on the part of some staff members and he's just going to focus on other business.

Not a money thing except that the headaches are not worth the money the place makes. It's pretty sad for town as there aren't a lot of other options.

The same person owns both sides of the building (and the restaurant as well) is in the real estate business and will be renting the space out sometime before next summer, but it might sit empty for 6 or more months... The brick oven pizza/Italian place is going into the other side of the building and the owner is going to take his time finding the other tenant.

This is the real story.

Thanks for the insight.

[Barbara]

Rob ran that place so well. Things went downhill after he left. I understand he is the new manager of the renovated Whittier House in Ossipee. Anyone know why he and Siohban left at the same time?

[BrownstoneNorth]

Originally Posted by Barbara

Rob ran that place so well. Things went downhill after he left. I understand he is the new manager of the renovated Whittier House in Ossipee. Anyone know why he and Siohban left at the same time?

Yes, Rob was chiefly responsible for The Restaurant's success, aided by the original chefs and top waitstaff Gary and Tizzy (who IMHO have no equal in Wolfeboro).

Gary is now doing some catering, and I'm sure very well. Looking forward to hearing great things about Rob's new project when it opens, I think sometime this winter -- you can follow the progress here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hobbs...24462174243792

PS, Barbara -- sent you a PM

[beagle]

We love Tizzy, she was always the best server-attentive and knowledgeable about the food and wine. Plus she was fun and always made us feel like a good friend. We would love to see her again and we hope she has success wherever she is.

[Chaselady]

We loved Tizzie and Gary also. They were often the reason good food and nice atmosphere became an awesome meal and atmosphere. So true they made you feel like family. I hope they read this forum, they'll realize they had some fans.
We still have a $100 gift certificate....hope they honor it!

[tis]

I imagine Tizzy will still be driving the bus.

[BrownstoneNorth]

Just found his card. His business is called GFM Catering and card says "Food, Floral, Calligraphy, Music."

Contact Info:

gary161atmetrocast.net (substitute @ for "at")

603 651-9050

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by Patiently Watching

They are indeed closing, however the circumstances are not quite as your suggest 'mozart'.

The owner has been ready to get out of the business for a while, which combined with staffing problems has sealed the fate of the place. There have been some huge theft and other criminal issues on the part of some staff members and he's just going to focus on other business.

Not a money thing except that the headaches are not worth the money the place makes. It's pretty sad for town as there aren't a lot of other options.

The same person owns both sides of the building (and the restaurant as well) is in the real estate business and will be renting the space out sometime before next summer, but it might sit empty for 6 or more months... The brick oven pizza/Italian place is going into the other side of the building and the owner is going to take his time finding the other tenant.



This is the real story.

I knew they were in deep trouble after my first and last visit this season. We arrived at the new "restaurant" which is right next door to the old "restaurant". I asked what was the difference and was told there weren't any differences. It was very strange. We wound up sitting in the new restaurant and the meal was good but nothing memorable and certainly it wasn't "outstanding".

I was fascinated that both establishments were called the "restaurant" doing the same thing side by side. I thought having one called the "pub" or the "bar" and having a different slant on things would have made more sense. Clearly, the owner of these places failed marketing 101 and likely business 101. The good news is that they put a fair amount of money into the buildings so someone will eventually open new eating establishments. Restaurants are like golf courses usually a couple of entrepreneurs need to get their clocked cleaned before the business is marked down enough to make it a viable for a successful owner.

[tis]

But as stated above one of the owners has another business interest in town and maybe he couldn't put as much time into it as he would have liked. I don't know.

[winnisummergal]

So sad to see it go. I had many great times there, most recently my trip 3 weeks ago. Here's to hoping something as great will be in that space by next summer.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by tis

But as stated above one of the owners has another business interest in town and maybe he couldn't put as much time into it as he would have liked. I don't know.

Ok. A bad Personal situation can certainly throw a wrench into things. I just find it difficult to understand how we went from one very good "restaurant" to two mediocre "restaurants". Hopefully, something goods grows from the ashes.

[gillygirl]

Originally Posted by secondcurve

Ok. A bad Personal situation can certainly throw a wrench into things. I just find it difficult to understand how we went from one very good "restaurant" to two mediocre "restaurants". Hopefully, something goods grows from the ashes.

Sometimes 1+1= -1?

[Chaselady]

We ate there last night...they will close this week-end. We were fortunate to have Tizzy take care of us, and we said good-bye to Gary.
We sat outside on the patio, and had an outstanding dinner, lobster role and meatloaf....we're going to miss this restaurant!

[Barbara]

Gary and Tizzy are right next door at Nolan's. The food is great. The place has been packed since opening night. The kitchen is having difficulty keeping pace, so be prepared for a wait.